Smalcald Posted August 23, 2008 Group: Royal Member Followers: 0 Topic Count: 32 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 5,258 Content Per Day: 0.76 Reputation: 42 Days Won: 3 Joined: 06/16/2005 Status: Offline Birthday: 07/22/1960 Share Posted August 23, 2008 why chance a moment of pleasure in loosing an eternity with Christ. mike I know exactly what you mean and it is truth. However very few Evengelical Christians today actually believe that, very few believe that willful unrepented sin can risk anything with Christ. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerioke Posted August 23, 2008 Group: Royal Member Followers: 3 Topic Count: 97 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 5,850 Content Per Day: 0.84 Reputation: 128 Days Won: 0 Joined: 03/19/2005 Status: Offline Birthday: 08/11/1911 Share Posted August 23, 2008 First I have a question. Does common law relationship count as marriage in Heaven as it does on earth? Secondly, I have seen a few posts where people equated unmarried co-habitation with eventual doom to the relationship. Shortly after I accepted the Lord, I began dating a girl who was a non-believer. Shortly afterward we decided to move in together. Not only was this girl a non-believer, but she was also separated from another marriage. After a couple of years my girlfriend became a Christian and we decided that we needed to make things right and get married. At this time , my friend Lloyd (who helped lead me to the Lord) was also living with a girl out of wedlock. He found out that my girlfriend was not divorced and saw this as a serious infraction to God. He decided that our friendship was in jeopardy if this relationship were to continue. To make a long story short, a ear later he and his girl got married in June and my girlfriend and I got married in July. Her divorce papers came through on the day of our wedding. We have been together for 15 years while my friend and his wife separated last year. He is still a believer but is now living with a practicing witch. His former wife is living with some other guy and apparently enjoying life. I guess what I'm getting at is it rains on the just and the unjust and you better be careful how you judge others in any circumstances as you reap what you sow. Praise God for His Grace and His infinite wisdom in all things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick-Parker Posted August 23, 2008 Group: Royal Member Followers: 8 Topic Count: 200 Topics Per Day: 0.23 Content Count: 4,273 Content Per Day: 4.83 Reputation: 1,855 Days Won: 0 Joined: 12/17/2021 Status: Offline Birthday: 06/03/1955 Share Posted August 23, 2008 There is a difference between judging a person and judging an action. Sin is sin. It cannot be minimized. God doesn't differentiate. Condoning sin makes a "lukewarm" Christian and we all know what the Bible says about that. Revelation 3:15,16 "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were cold or hot. 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of my mouth." (WEB) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seekeratthesea Posted August 23, 2008 Group: Advanced Member Followers: 0 Topic Count: 6 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 160 Content Per Day: 0.03 Reputation: 0 Days Won: 0 Joined: 12/02/2007 Status: Offline Share Posted August 23, 2008 (edited) I wanted to know your opinions or beliefs about living with a boyfriend/girlfriend. 1. Do you think it is immoral/wrong/against the Bible? -If you say yes, what are you reasons for thinking so? -If you say no, what are your reasons for thinking it is right or acceptable? 2. Have you ever moved in with a boyfriend/girlfriend? -If so, did you love them or ever marry them? Were the results overall positive or negative? -If not, have you ever considered making this deicision? Recently a friend of mine from church told me her story about choosing to move in with her boyfriend. I did not belittle her or tell her she was wrong, because she is an adult and can make her own choices and frankly, I personally don't see anything inherently wrong or un-Christian about it. However, one of the Sunday school teachers found out about her decision and barred her from returning to the classroom. My friend was upset because she felt like she had done nothing wrong and that the teacher acted out of undue judgement or hate. I agree with my friend because she and the boyfriend love each other and had support from her family (who is a Christian family), so who am I or anyone else to automatically assume she has made a bad decision? The end of the story is she got married to this boyfriend. Also, I have my own personal story, but I am going to hold off on the details. I just want to know what you think. I have lived together with women and now think it was the wrong thing to do, and I was not very committed during the "live-in" preferring to be able to get out the relationship easily if things didn't work out. From the male perspective, it's almost always a matter of getting the benefits of marriage without the commitment. Having said that, I am still not sure that God needs a marriage to be performed in a church, and sanctified by a govt court clerk in order to be legitimate. There were no such things in the days of Abraham after all. People lived in the wilderness away from towns and cities, within family communities/clans that didn't always have marriages licenses or the societal structures that we have today, but marriages were still recognized my God. It reminds me of the 60's arguments when young adults were arguing against the necessity of the piece of paper, i.e. marriage license and when some of these people were just making their own vows independent of church and govt authorities. I would acknowledge that almost all of these were just sham, feel good "marriages" intended to avoid commitment and tweak the older crowd; but I still find it hard to believe that God would ONLY accepts marriages recognized performed by churches that are recognized by the state. The fact that most of those 60's live in things were shams does not mean that all of them will always be that way. I believe it feasible that God would accept a marriage as legitimate based on the hearts of the couple, rather than the approval of state/church authorities, not necessarily with a state marriage license, especially since that occurred all he time in more ancient times. A hypothetical hermit couple, living in the Canadian backwoods could conceivably take Christian vows before God without the aid of a pastor and it could be a legitimate marriage in the eyes of God, even if looked down on by more traditional minded Christians. It would be a case of God judging the heart and marriage. The problem is that as in the 60's/70's such notions can lead to many more uncommitted pseudo marriages than committed marriages. Only God could judge the hearts of the bride and groom along with the legitimacy of the marriage. Edited August 23, 2008 by seekeratthesea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerioke Posted August 23, 2008 Group: Royal Member Followers: 3 Topic Count: 97 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 5,850 Content Per Day: 0.84 Reputation: 128 Days Won: 0 Joined: 03/19/2005 Status: Offline Birthday: 08/11/1911 Share Posted August 23, 2008 There is a difference between judging a person and judging an action. Sin is sin. It cannot be minimized. God doesn't differentiate. Condoning sin makes a "lukewarm" Christian and we all know what the Bible says about that. Revelation 3:15,16 "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were cold or hot. 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of my mouth." (WEB) Do you believe it was God or satan who saw to it that the divorce papers came on the day of our wedding? Sin is sin, however no one is chained to there sins. If you make an effort to make things right, then God will not withhold blessings, nor will he imprison you with guilt or make you pay with poetic justice. He has a plan for each and every one of us and if He chooses to use evil for good, that is His prerogative. I don't believe that sinners should be cast out of the church for their transgressions. If that were the case, the churches would be empty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick-Parker Posted August 23, 2008 Group: Royal Member Followers: 8 Topic Count: 200 Topics Per Day: 0.23 Content Count: 4,273 Content Per Day: 4.83 Reputation: 1,855 Days Won: 0 Joined: 12/17/2021 Status: Offline Birthday: 06/03/1955 Share Posted August 23, 2008 Of course one can repent and turn their back on sin. But when you stay in a live-in relationship you are sinning, willfully. Make an effort to stop sinning? How would one do that if they are living in sin? God, throughout the Bible, has been patient with His people. But things always came to the point that God withheld what He had promised for obedience and eventually punished His people for their willful sin. It is no different today. I never said cast anyone out of the church. I said that a pastor is obligated to preach against living in sin, especially if they have parishioners who are doing it. So please, don't put words in my mouth or spin my words to mean whatever you wish them to mean. Ignoring sin in the family is condoning sin and brings judgment from God. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xan Posted August 23, 2008 Group: Diamond Member Followers: 1 Topic Count: 32 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 1,060 Content Per Day: 0.18 Reputation: 18 Days Won: 0 Joined: 05/02/2008 Status: Offline Birthday: 10/23/1970 Share Posted August 23, 2008 Rick, I was wondering if you could please answer Isaiah's question from page 2 as I was also curious about that as well. Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest man Posted August 23, 2008 Share Posted August 23, 2008 I don't believe that sinners should be cast out of the church for their transgressions. If that were the case, the churches would be empty. Well said Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stacey c Posted August 23, 2008 Group: Diamond Member Followers: 1 Topic Count: 37 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 913 Content Per Day: 0.15 Reputation: 19 Days Won: 2 Joined: 03/29/2008 Status: Offline Birthday: 12/02/1969 Share Posted August 23, 2008 I don't believe that sinners should be cast out of the church for their transgressions. If that were the case, the churches would be empty. Well said Amen!!!!!!!! Maybe that Sunday school teacher should have been kicked out for her judgemental spirit. Nothing irks me more than self-righteous pharisees. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xan Posted August 24, 2008 Group: Diamond Member Followers: 1 Topic Count: 32 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 1,060 Content Per Day: 0.18 Reputation: 18 Days Won: 0 Joined: 05/02/2008 Status: Offline Birthday: 10/23/1970 Share Posted August 24, 2008 I don't believe that sinners should be cast out of the church for their transgressions. If that were the case, the churches would be empty. Well said Amen!!!!!!!! Maybe that Sunday school teacher should have been kicked out for her judgemental spirit. Nothing irks me more than self-righteous pharisees. Well, Paul was a Pharisee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts